Tiny Saguaro 2

Tiny Saguaro 2__2.5 x 2.5 oil on little bitty canvas, with easel...$60

When you do not hear from me for days on end, you can bet that I am out of internet range!...This past week I spent time in Nebraska, painting and studying the lay of the land at the Duck Creek Ranch. This place is in the sand hills of western, NE, with a few miles of the North Platte River running through it. My buddy Tina came along and we had a great "girl's road trip"...I will post some of those works soon, but here is one from Arizona a few days ago!

This week I am in Austin, teaching a small group workshop. We have our "home base" at the north Austin  RockSports location, which also houses Joel's Coffee, Truffles & Tea...one of those cool new Austin-type coffee houses. I want to invite EERYONE to drop by this week and see what we are up to! The artists I am working with are REALLY good, so we are putting our works on display as we go! "Wet Paint in the Window" is the name of our little group show....you will catch us there between noon and 5 pm....our early mornings and early evenings will be spent "in the field" painting on location around some of Austin's waterways. email me if you need more info. Hre is a link to RockSports and Joel's map.

11301 Lakeline Blvd, Austin, TX 78717....come see us!!

Gila Woodpecker

Gila Woodpecker__8x6 oil on canvas panel___$190...no thorns!
If you stand still in the desert, you can see lots of things !
I was not standing still on purpose, but had paused in a place near some saguaros, just to rest and feel the hot sun (I actually LIKE hot sun!). I had my camera already up to my face, and was just standing there when I noticed this Gila Woodpecker hopping around on the nearest Saguaro cactus....Got some great photos before he flitted away, and painted from one today...Here it is, with some info about the bird, below. If you are at ALL interested in birds, check out the BEST bird site I know...it's at Cornell University!!

Gila Woodpecker
Melanerpes uropygialis ORDER: PICIFORMES FAMILY: PICIDAE
A conspicuous resident in the deserts of the Southwest and Mexico, the Gila Woodpecker is a characteristic bird of the saguaro cactus forests
Cool Facts
• When a pair of Gila Woodpeckers excavates a nest hole in a saguaro cactus, it typically does not use it for several months. Drying time is required for the inner pulp of the cactus to form a solid casing around the cavity.
• The male Gila Woodpecker forages mainly on the trunk and main branches of saguaro cacti, while the female concentrates on the periphery and diseased areas.
Habitat: Deserts
Found in deserts that have large cacti or trees suitable for nesting (especially saguaro cactus), dry subtropical forests, riparian woodlands, and residential areas.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gila_Woodpecker/lifehistory

Cactus Blues

Cactus Blues__6x8 oil study on linen panel___$190
These are our famous prickly pear cactus. Anybody growing up in these parts WILL have a personal prickly pear story!...one of the beautiful things about our spring is that after all the blues fade (which they are doing now...finally waning!) we are blessed with brilliant flowers in all OTHER colors. These prickly pear will bloom in another month or so, in BRILLIANT YELLOW!...I will get out and paint them soon!!
If you have not gone to see the farm paintings at the Gallery on Main in Marble Falls, this will be your last weekend to do so! Let me know if you go! vvaughan8@yahoo.com

Vulture Peak

Vulture Peak__Wickenburg, AZ__6x8 oil on linen panel__$150 if you like 'em WET!
YIKES! Because of the way I have to post, this image is HUGE! You artists might enjoy clicking the image to see every molecule of paint!
We went out to paint this afternoon, before the big Cowgirl Up! sale at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum. It was good to get out in the warm sunshine! We didn't have long, but found this great view of Wickenburg's beloved Vulture Peak, a typical, saguaro cactus covered Arizona landscape...THough, this year is VERY unusual in that the desert is blooming! Flowers everywhere...we are going out to paint again tomorrow, so I will look for a good place with flowers!
Cowgirl Up! began tonight and was BUZZING with sales and happy patrons and artists. I made some new friends, welcomed old ones back and had some sales, so I am breathing easier. Tomorrow is the quick draw, where the artists have one hour to paint on the spot, with crowds watching. We then frame them and the museum auctions them off. It is a fun time and I enjoy competing with the clock to create a great painting in such a short time.